Routine rescue mission.
Written out like that, it might sound vague, but in reality, it's something that happens quite naturally even in the real world.
"If people keep tripping and getting hurt in an area I manage, of course I'd look into it more. It's like that."
It refers to patrolling and checking areas or facilities where accidents frequently occur, to regularly monitor for people in danger and carry out rescue operations.
It was the same at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
"We designate certain supernatural disasters and go in like this once every few months to check them out."
To see if there's anyone inside who needs rescuing.
But there's one crucial additional condition.
—Ghost stories where it's impossible to report a rescue request.
"It's for people caught in a supernatural disaster who can't yell 'Save me~' even if they want to."
Exactly. A number of ghost stories, by their very nature, don't allow for calls or any kind of contact for help.
Among those, if agents can enter and exit relatively safely, the Response & Rescue Unit is assigned to patrol them on a regular basis.
'…There definitely were exploration records based on that setting.'
When the fun of the story came from tracking changes over time, or when the point of interest was how the scenario shifted as episodes accumulated, that was the case.
In that way, it's similar to how Daydream Inc. assigned 'designated Darknesses' to specific employees or teams.
Though, of course, the objective here is incomparably more noble…
Just a moment ago, Agent Choi—who'd been teasing me to death—now looked surprisingly reliable as he scratched the back of his head with ease.
"And this ghost story… Hmm, as long as you strictly follow the rules, it's not dangerous. But because of how the rules work, the job has to be done in pairs for it to function properly. It's a two-person assignment."
Huh?
"But earlier, you said it was a three-person mission…"
"That's right! Our rookie here is the tag-along extra." [1]
E-Extra…
My vision went a little dim at being treated in a way I'd never experienced before, but then I realized that this was actually a huge win and shut my mouth.
'The more people there are, the less scary it'll be.'
Besides, agents from the Disaster Management Bureau weren't likely to be trolls or anything.
And when I heard who was on the lineup, they were all people I was familiar with.
"Me and Jaekwan-ie!"
Agent Choi waved his hands vaguely in the air to indicate Agent Bronze, who had stepped away for a report, then pointed to himself. And then that hand pointed to me.
"And our honorary member here."
"R-Right…"
I gave a defeated, awkward nod.
Seeing my expression, Agent Choi chuckled and clapped me on the shoulder.
"You're taking this well."
"…?"
"Let's go. Jaekwan-ie's probably been waiting forever. I'm sure your senior will find his way to the destination too~"
Agent Choi led me to the elevator.
The destination was basement 2.
"If someone's heading out for fieldwork from headquarters, odds are they're on standby on B2."
Because fast response is often crucial, the lower levels are allocated for deployment, he explained.
As soon as we stepped off the elevator and turned the corner, I saw a nameplate.
[Black Tortoise Team 1]
Agent Choi cheerfully swung open the door.
"Ta-da! Welcome to Black Tortoise Team 1's standby zone!"
The inside was… unexpectedly cozy.
Circular couches, a break area, blankets, bookshelves packed chaotically with board games, philosophy books, and manhwa books. It didn't have the sleek, modern aesthetic of a government office lounge, but it had the vibe of a college club room.
On the wall's whiteboard, old graffiti was still clearly visible.
– The best rescue agent was here
– If you play EDM at my funeral, a dokkaebi will come get you
– We'll never forget our Black Tortoise Team 1
…They were probably messages left by people who could no longer take on missions, never erased, just accumulating over time.
It was the complete opposite of the sleek, personalized solo workstations of Daydream Inc.'s elite teams.
"Haha, one of our retired guys was into home decor and once brought in a haunted painting… Isn't it great? Just sitting here, the work practically finds you!"
"Yes. …It's a very pleasant space."
"..."
Agent Choi, momentarily at a loss for words, gave me a slow smile.
"Right? I told you it was a good team. I wasn't lying."
"..."
"In that sense, well hey, you could totally join our tea—"
"I'm fine, thank you."
That was close. I almost gave him an opening.
"Yeah, yeah! Still got some time left anyway."
Agent Choi guided me over to the sofa, and we sat across from each other, taking a short breather.
Between the two sofas was a table, lumpy and uneven under a tablecloth— probably meant to keep the dust off—but it somehow felt oddly homey.
"Phew! Let's rest a bit until Jaekwan-ie gets back."
"Yes."
"And… here."
Agent Choi suddenly gave a somewhat gentle smile and took out a wellsealed piece of paper from his inner pocket.
…It was the scrap of paper I had given him, the one I'd bought at the manhole market.
Ack.
"Sorry, but there doesn't seem to be any supernatural disaster in the Bureau's database that matches this note."
"..."
Well, of course not. That was just a clue pointing to the location of the lab hidden behind the manhole…
And as if this kind of situation was familiar to him, Agent Choi added a few words, like he was trying to comfort a rookie.
"Maybe… the Bureau just hasn't picked it up yet. These things happen a lot. You've just got to be patient and wait it out."
"..."
"Are you okay with that?"
He was probably asking because what he really meant was: 'Looks like we're not going to be able to save this person.'
But I nodded.
"…Yes, really."
Then, taking a deep breath, I accepted the slip of paper Agent Choi held out.
'To be honest, I've already confirmed the corpse of the researcher I made the transaction with…'
If this were a real situation, I'd probably say something like this.
"Still, I think there's meaning in at least making the attempt."
"..."
Agent Choi didn't respond for a moment.
'…Was that too obvious?'
Just as I started to regret it—
"Hoobae-nim, give that back for a sec."
"…?!"
Agent Choi extended his hand again.
"I'll check one more time. Just once."
Note/s:
[1]
The term used was actually 깍두기, which is a kind of kimchi that's made of radish; used as slang to refer to someone who's less popular but allowed to hang out with a group. ↩
"Sorry?"
"When you've been around this long, you've got more than just the database. I've got my own tricks too. I'll give it one more shot."
…And so the note returned to Agent Choi.
I felt a bit guilty, but this was a life-or-death matter, so I kept my mouth shut. I'll repay him by working like a mule for the Bureau…
"...Thank you."
"Okay."
This time, Agent Choi didn't say anything like "If you're that thankful, just join our team already."
He just gave a dry chuckle and let it go.
'…Is he going to ask one of his informants?'
Agent Choi had so many exploration records, and that meant he'd crossed paths with plenty of different factions.
Which meant that, in the end, he'd become a character with wide-reaching connections.
So when he said he'd look into it again, it probably meant he was going to check sources outside the Bureau too.
'Well, whatever.'
If he says he'll take a look, that's all it means. Probably just another excuse to try and recruit me into Black Tortoise Team 1…
…Wait a second.
'No way… He's not seriously going to find a ghost story that fits the note, is he?'
Don't tell me this is going to spiral into some ridiculous and implausible plot twist where there really is a matching ghost story…
Nah, no way. Just imagining it made cold sweat trickle down my back. Time to stop.
And right after Agent Choi tucked the note back into his coat, finally, the last agent for today's mission walked through the door of the waiting room.
"Oh, Jaekwan-ie!"
Agent Bronze strode in confidently and took a seat on the sofa.
Yes, this was the person I needed to make a confession to. I immediately bowed my head.
"Agent Bronze! Um, I'm really sorry…"
"…Huh?"
"You went out of your way to help me, and I totally messed up the field cleanup mission…"
"..."
This was my appeal. Please, give me one more chance.
I haven't given up on the Site Cleanup Unit just yet…!
Agent Bronze let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.
"There's no need to apologize."
"Yeah~ it'd be weirder if someone apologized for obliterating a supernatural disaster!"
"...Agent."
"Aigoo, Jaekwan-ie's so scary~ Let's work, work!"
When Agent Bronze glared at him, Agent Choi panicked, whistled, and quickly pulled out the mission briefing papers.
…Thanks to that, I missed my timing to make an appeal. I'll have to wait for another chance.
But since I'd be joining today's mission, another opportunity was bound to come.
"Hoobae-nim, where did I leave off?"
"Ah, you mentioned that today's mission was a three-person job…"
"That's right! And on top of that, someone very reliable will be helping us out today."
Agent Choi pointed to the wall next to the sofa.
There, a translucent curtain hung loosely.
"Our Elder. The Team Leader!"
"..."
Curtain?
I managed to speak.
"…Um, I don't see anything."
"You don't see them, but you believe they're there!"
"..."
"The Elder said, since a new rookie was coming today, they'd definitely lend us a hand."
'Is this some kind of rookie initiation ritual?'
I was starting to get confused.
Was someone actually transformed into that curtain? Is that even possible?
I was about to dig through the Dark Exploration Records in my head when Agent Choi nudged me to stand in front of the curtain politely.
"Jaekwan-ie stands here, and you, rookie, stand in the center… Perfect."
Agent Bronze, me, and Agent Choi.
Then Agent Choi stepped forward and pulled the curtain aside.
Light poured through the curtain.
"…!!"
Behind the translucent curtain was, surprisingly, a glass window that hadn't been visible before.
Of course, since we were underground, we couldn't see outside. But instead, a mystical, aurora-like glow shimmered beyond the glass.
Rippling like rice paper doors, the glass flickered with sacred, almost divine light.
"Pretty cool, right? Apparently it's made with some kind of magical glass… I don't really know the details."
Agent Choi smiled as he approached.
"The important thing is, this is how the Elder watches over this place!"
The Elder.
"The Elder… who exactly are they?"
"Told you already. Our Team Leader here at Black Tortoise Team 1!"
Surprisingly, even Agent Bronze didn't object. Which meant that it was true.
"Jaekwan-ah. That."
Agent Bronze quietly removed the cloth covering the table between the sofas.
Whoosh.
Revealed underneath… was food.
'Buckwheat jelly… and raw chocolate?'
What kind of combination is that supposed to be?
"Alright. Wave your hands."
Agent Choi enthusiastically raised both his hands. Agent Bronze followed, so I hurried to raise mine too.
"Wishing you many blessings again today, Elder!"
Then we all bowed deeply toward the window.
"…?!"
"We humbly ask for your guidance on today's mission."
I was so thrown off—I had never read about anything like this in the Dark Exploration Records.
Still, I bowed along like a proper rookie.
And the moment I stood up…
"…!!"
My body started shrinking.
My viewpoint lowered, my arms and legs got smaller. Everything around me seemed just a bit larger and slightly wobbly.
No, it was my head that was wobbling! Compared to my now-shrunken body, my relatively large head tilted for a moment, struggling to balance.
"Huh."
Even my voice had changed. And then…
The transformation stopped.
"..."
"..."
Only two things in my vision remained the same size as before. The two people beside me.
"All set. Thank you, Elder."
I turned my head.
In Agent Choi's spot stood an elementary school kid, examining me as if checking me over.
No, I mean— it was Agent Choi, just younger!
His mischievous grin and relaxed air were still there, just on a child's face.
"Are you alright?"
Across from me stood the child version of Agent Bronze. Same stiff demeanor… No, wait.
'Oh my god.'
I looked down at my own hands.
Even my dokkaebi flame arm had shrunk down to match my reduced size, waving excitedly instead of giving a thumbs-up.
"Alright. Mission prep complete."
"..."
"Today's supernatural disaster… can only be entered normally by the children of the New Nation."
"..."
"So now we've all become exactly eight years old!"
I think I'm going to lose my mind.